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About 35 county residents learn to kick up their heels line dancing style at a non-credit class led by Susie Buckner.

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Learning to dance in a line

By CAROLYN R. WILSON/Correspondent

“Step right, rock forward and quarter turn to the left,” Susie Buckner melodiously instructed a room full of students, young and old, who kicked up their heels Friday evening as they learned the basic steps of line dancing.

As many as 35 community residents met at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon to shuffle, slide, hop, kick and stomp. The class is among a variety of Weekend Adult Lifetime Learning non-credit enrichment opportunities at the center this fall.

Buckner will conduct another beginner line dancing class from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 12.

“The WALL classes have generated interest from all ages,” said Betty Reiff, WALL coordinator.

Catherine Rumschlag of Abingdon didn’t want to miss out on learning the style of dance, something she had never tried before. At 81, Rumschlag said she has enjoyed dancing most her life.

As its name implies, the dance is done in a line. Line dancing is a formation dance that involves a group of people who make the same movements in one or more lines. Usually there are several parallel lines of dancers who move in a synchronized manner, but independently of each other. The dancers make the same moves at the same time, but with no interaction between them. Buckner explained that line dancing can be a two-wall or four-wall dance, meaning the dancer completes a set, then turns to face a different direction for the next set. The same steps are repeated facing the new direction.

“Line dancing is for everyone,” said Buckner. “The dance is easy on your joints, fun to do, good exercise, and you don’t need a partner. Once you master some basic steps, you can go anywhere and join right in.”

“Just have fun,” Buckner reminded her students. “Dancing is not rocket science. The hardest thing for people to overcome is the fear of failing. Line dancing is a way to express yourself through movement and music. There is no right or wrong. Just get out there and move and don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Asked the instructor, “What better way to spend a Friday night, than laughing, meeting new people, and learning something new?”

Kathy Hutson of Abingdon couldn’t agree more. She’s always enjoyed line dancing and square dancing, but she is disappointed there are few places in the area to dance for entertainment. Hutson said that dancing offers good interaction with people and it is a good source of exercise for her. Harry Baya of Abingdon confessed that some of the dances challenged him.
“But, the class was fun, and I will be back next Friday.”

During the class, Buckner used a variety of music, such as hip-hop, reggae, rhythm and blues, and country to demonstrate the versatility of the dance form. In fact, Buckner began line dancing when the soundtrack for “Saturday Night Fever” debuted in the 1970s. With roots in European folk dance, line dancing was often associated with a cowboy image before the 1970s, and it was mostly danced to country-western music. This trend began to change in the 1990s when more young people became interested in line dancing because pop bands released songs with videos featuring similar dances. Today, line dancing is performed to a variety of styles, such as Celtic, swing, pop, rock, big band and folk.

Students in the class should wear leather-soled shoes or boots in order to properly move to the dance steps, said Buckner. Among the dances participants learn are Cotton Eye Joe, the Electric Slide and the Funky Cowboy.

For more information on WALL classes, contact Reiff at or call 619-4381.